EconDefense
ACQ-08 / Research, innovation and experimentation

Award cash, noncash, contract or agreement prizes for defense innovation

Competitively reward research, technology, prototypes and transition-improving management practices; accept outside funds or nonmonetary prize contributions.

Action briefPDF dossier · original 168Download record
Authority / instrument · ACQ-08

Prizes & challenges

Research, innovation and experimentation

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

Secretary of Defense acting through USD(R&E), USD(A&S), DIU Director and Service acquisition executives

What this does not authorize / hard limit

No special consideration for private donors; award above $20m as contract/agreement triggers 15-day post-award congressional notice.

Recorded executor

DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office; Performing laboratory or external research performer

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAppropriations or funds/items lawfully accepted from federal, state/local and private contributors. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProcess sourcedDIU currently publishes a section 4025 prize challenge with a separate, conditional follow-on route. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Possible toolACQ-08 · Contracts & purchases
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4025

Authority holder: Secretary of Defense acting through USD(R&E), USD(A&S), DIU Director and Service acquisition executives

Contracts & purchasesPrizes

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Program process and intake

Checked 2026-10-04 · program documented. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.

DIU currently publishes a section 4025 prize challenge with a separate, conditional follow-on route.

DIU LC-ISR prize challenge

Who this route serves
U.S. and international participants subject to screening and challenge terms
Administering office / routing lead
Defense Innovation Unit and named government challenge partners
Direct implementation

The notice expressly cites section 4025 for prizes and distinguishes possible follow-on awards under sections 4022, 4023 or other authorities.

What this evidence label means
Submission deadline ahead

Notice posted September 29, 2026; submission closes October 14, 2026. Later demonstration dates are planned, not completed events.

Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04

DIU Low-Cost ISR challenge PROJ00711 · Submission instructions; schedule; prizes;5.Authorityofficial challenge notice · published 2026-09-29 · Evidence record

Program eligibility

  • Participants must meet challenge screening and demonstration requirements; selected prototype-agreement performers need active SAM/CAGE.

    DIU Low-Cost ISR challenge PROJ00711 · Submission instructions; schedule; prizes;5.Authorityofficial challenge notice · published 2026-09-29 · Evidence record

Steps and preparation

  • Submit no more than15slides in PDF, distinguishing demonstrated from planned capability and documenting production/business approach; later stages use evaluation events.

    DIU Low-Cost ISR challenge PROJ00711 · Submission instructions; schedule; prizes;5.Authorityofficial challenge notice · published 2026-09-29 · Evidence record
Funding, limits and authority relationship

Funding and financial terms

  • prizes and potential follow-on awards · FY2027-stage schedule

    $100 million is a combined prize and initial-follow-on pool, not an unconditional cash-prize pot.

    DIU Low-Cost ISR challenge PROJ00711 · Submission instructions; schedule; prizes;5.Authorityofficial challenge notice · published 2026-09-29 · Evidence record

Exclusions and limits

  • Successful participation does not guarantee procurement or waive the independent legal conditions of a follow-on.

    DIU Low-Cost ISR challenge PROJ00711 · Submission instructions; schedule; prizes;5.Authorityofficial challenge notice · published 2026-09-29 · Evidence record

Authority relationship source

DIU Low-Cost ISR challenge PROJ00711 · Submission instructions; schedule; prizes;5.Authorityofficial challenge notice · published 2026-09-29 · Evidence record

Read DIU challenge terms →

published guidance: Current challenge-specific intake; not a universal prize-program portal.

Research scope and sources checked

Read DIU challenge authority, funding, submission and dated schedule; also examined DARPA4025 competition terms as corroborating examples, without treating past event schedules as proof of awards.

What remains unverified

  • Actual selections, prize payments and future award amounts were not verified; check amendments before submission.

A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Widely advertised competitive process; achievement must meet statutory defense/transition purpose.

Limits & exclusions

  • USD(R&E) approval above $20m total prize fair value, $2m cash, or $20k solely nonmonetary prize.
  • No special consideration for private donors; award above $20m as contract/agreement triggers 15-day post-award congressional notice.

Funding conditions

  • Appropriations or funds/items lawfully accepted from federal, state/local and private contributors.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives
    Office profile
  • DARPA or Service laboratory/program manager

Resources

  • Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller
    Office profile

Approval

  • Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed
    Office profile

Execution

  • DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office
    Office profile
  • Performing laboratory or external research performer

Partners & review

  • Operational customer / acquiring program
  • Security, export-control, counsel and fiscal officials as applicable

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Challenge sponsor → eligible prize official → counsel/valuation and approvals → advertised contest → award and applicable notice.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAppropriations or funds/items lawfully accepted from federal, state/local and private contributors. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProcess sourcedDIU currently publishes a section 4025 prize challenge with a separate, conditional follow-on route. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

Related tools in this family